Diversity surveys of soil bacterial community by cultivation--based methods and molecular fingerprinting techniques

By combining the cultivation methods with molecular fingerprinting techniques, the diversity surveys of soil bacterial community in 13 areas of China were carded out. The cultivable heterotrophic diversity was investigated by colony morphology on solid LB medium. Genetic diversity was measured as bands on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) by the extraction and purification of the total soil DNA, and amplification of bacterial 16S rDNA fragments by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). The Shannon-Wiener indices of diversity(H), richness(S) and evenness(EH) were employed to estimate the diversity of soil bacterial community. The results showed that there was an obvious diversification existed in soil from the different areas. However, the genetic diverslty estimated by PCR-DGGE can provide more comprehensive information on bacterial community than the cultivation-based methods. Therefore, it is suggested to combine the traditional methods with genetic fingerprinting techniques to survey and estimate soil bacterial diversity.     

STEMming the tide: New perspectives on careers and turnover

The question of why so many people leave science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs continues to echo through social science research and Government policy. This is not surprising given the considerable investments into uptake and quality of STEM education and that STEM workers have a pivotal role to play in addressing current and future grand challenges. Yet, too many individuals with tertiary degrees in STEM—disproportionately women, racial minorities, and the underprivileged—leave or pursue careers in non-STEM fields. While demand for employment in STEM continues to grow, such persistent STEM defections present a significant challenge. We offer an integrative special issue of eight empirical articles capturing current thinking and evidence on employee retention and turnover, both within and beyond the realm of STEM. Our thematic analysis of the articles reveals overarching themes around the fundamental question of why people choose to stay in their jobs and why they leave. From this, we provide a future research agenda recognizing the myriad work and nonwork factors influencing the desire and ability to stay in one's chosen profession, particularly in critical sectors where gender and minority attrition rates prevail.     

论《生物多样性公约》国家履行策略

《生物多样性公约》已于1993年12月29日生效,中国是《公约》缔约国之一。《公约》对各缔约国规定了若干义务,主要有生物多样性的保护,包括就地保护和移地保护;生物多样性组成部分的持续利用;遗传资源的取得;生物多样性保护与利用技术（包括生物技术）的取得与转让;等等。本文针对上述关键条款的义务,结合我国国情,特别是结合我国在此领域的已有工作成就和现状,在国家水平上提出履行《公约》义务的策略和需要优先实施的行动措施。此外,还结合《公约》谈判的国际背景,提出我国今后在《公约》关键条款履行及谈判方面的对策。     

“城-郊-乡”生态样带森林土壤重金属变化格局

沿纽约市“市区－郊区－农区”140km生态样带,对9个样地26个样方落叶阔叶林土壤的重金属含量进行了分析。重金属离子总量、重金属离子多样性等随着距市中心的距离的增加而降低,重要污染重金属离子Pb、Cu、Ni、Cr含量下降非常明显。森林土壤重金属离子格局与人口密度、城市土地利用率、机动车密度等关系十分密切     

面向21世纪城市绿化发展的思路与对策——以上海为例

本文以上海为例,探讨了生态平衡、生态位配置、互惠共生和物种多样性等生态学原理在绿地生态建设中的理论和实际应用意义,并从城市绿地指标确定、合理规划布局、丰富植物材料、城市自然公园建设及立体绿化等方面分析讨论了面向２１世纪我国城市绿化发展的思路与对策。     

棉秆还田对咸水滴灌棉田土壤酶活性和细菌群落结构多样性的影响

咸水长期灌溉会增加土壤盐分,对土壤理化性质产生不利影响,改变土壤细菌的多样性.秸秆还田可以改善土壤微环境,进而影响土壤酶活性和细菌群落结构多样性.试验设置淡水(FW,0.35 dS·m-1)和咸水(SW,8.04 dS·m-1)两种灌溉水盐度,在每个灌溉水盐度下秸秆用量分别为0 kg·hm-2和6 000 kg·hm-...     

不同改良物料对盐碱土壤真菌群落结构的影响

研究不同改良物料对盐碱土壤理化性质和真菌群落结构的影响,可为合理改良盐碱土壤提供理论依据.以内蒙河套平原中度盐碱土壤为试验地,采用高通量测序技术,探讨了空白对照（CK）、脱硫石膏（T1）、土壤改良剂（T2）、有机肥（T3）和脱硫石膏复配土壤改良剂与有机肥（T4）等5个处理对土壤理化性质和真菌群落多样性、组成和结构的影响.结果表明,与CK相比,改良处理显著提高了速效磷、速效钾、有机质和碱解氮含量,同时T4处理显著降低了土壤pH;改良处理增加了真菌多样性,但降低了真菌丰富度;改良后的土壤优势真菌门为子囊菌门、担子菌门和被孢霉门,优势菌属为被孢霉属、Conocybe、Botryotrichum、镰刀菌属和假单胞菌属.改良处理增加了子囊菌门、担子菌门、镰刀菌属和假单胞菌属的相对丰度,但降低了被孢霉门、壶菌门和被孢霉属的相对丰度;LEfSe分析表明,改良处理改变了真菌群落的生物标志物;相关性分析表明,pH和速效钾是影响真菌群落结构的主要环境因子.研究结果可为改良内蒙河套平原盐碱土壤,提高土壤养分提供科学依据.     

秦岭中段不同恢复阶段弃耕农田植物多样性变化及其驱动因素

植被恢复过程往往伴随着显著的地上植物多样性的变化,探讨枯落物养分-土壤养分-酶活性化学计量对地上植被变化的驱动机制,对于维持区域生物多样性保护和生态稳定至关重要.以秦岭不同恢复年限（1、8、16、31和50 a）的典型弃耕农田为研究对象,通过野外调查分析了植被恢复过程中植物群落多样性的变化特征,测定了枯落物养分、土壤养分、β-1,4-葡萄糖苷酶（BG）、纤维二糖水解酶（CBH）、β-1,4-N-乙酰基氨基葡萄糖苷酶（NAG）、亮氨酸氨基肽酶（LAP）和酸性磷酸酶（AP）这5种胞外酶活性等指标,探讨了植被恢复过程中枯落物养分、土壤养分和酶活性化学计量比的变化特征及其对植物多样性变化的驱动机制.结果表明：植物群落多样性指数随植被恢复年限增加均呈先减小后增大的趋势,在恢复16 a时最小;主成分分析结果表明,植被恢复不同年限植物群落多样性指数及枯落物-土壤-酶化学计量特征之间有显著区别,植物群落多样性指数与枯落物碳磷比及枯落物氮磷比具有强烈的正相关关系,而与土壤酶碳磷比（EEA C∶P）具有明显的负相关关系;冗余分析结果表明EEA C∶P对植被恢复过程中植物多样性变化的解释率最高,为25.93%,其次为土壤全磷（TP）,解释率为5.94%,是调控植物多样性变化的关键因子.综上所述,秦岭中段弃耕农田植被恢复后期植物种类和数量明显增多,土壤环境的变化影响了微生物的代谢活动从而改变了酶活性,枯落物-土壤-土壤胞外酶通过反馈与调节对群落环境和植物多样性产生影响,EEA C∶P和TP是植被恢复过程中地上植物多样性变化的主要驱动因素.     

天水小陇山红豆杉(Taxus chinensis (Pilg.) Rehd)林土壤真菌多样性及其与生态因子的相关性

采用GPS系统采集了天水小陇山红豆杉林9块样地的土样,用稀释平板法对该区域真菌进行分离计数,进一步鉴定到属,并分析了真菌数量和类群与土壤养分、水分和pH等生态因子的相关性.结果表明,该区域土壤真菌数量和类群组成存在较大的空间变异,土壤真菌优势菌群的构成有相似性,青霉属、毛霉属为所有样地的优势菌群.真菌多样性分析表明,小陇山红豆杉物种多样性较丰富,不同样地多样性指数差异明显.土壤真菌总数、类群和多样性与土壤生态因子间的相关性分析表明,真菌总数与土壤pH呈显著负相关(R-0.796),与水分和有机质呈显著正相关;Shannon-Wiener指数与土壤有机质呈显著正相关;各属与土壤生态因子呈现不同的相关性.      

Relationship between plant biodiversity and heavy metal bioavailability in grasslands overlying an abandoned mine

Abandoned metal mines in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Madrid, Spain, are often located in areas of high ecological value. This is true of an abandoned barium mine situated in the heart of a bird sanctuary. Today the area sustains grasslands, interspersed with oakwood formations of Quercus ilex and heywood scrub (Retama sphaerocarpa L.), used by cattle, sheep and wild animals. Our study was designed to establish a relationship between the plant biodiversity of these grasslands and the bioavailability of heavy metals in the topsoil layer of this abandoned mine. We conducted soil chemical analyses and performed a greenhouse evaluation of the effects of different soil heavy metal concentrations on biodiversity. The greenhouse bioassays were run for 6 months using soil samples obtained from the mine polluted with heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) and from a control pasture. Soil heavy metal and Na concentrations, along with the pH, had intense negative effects on plant biodiversity, as determined through changes in the Shannon index and species richness. Numbers of grasses, legumes, and composites were reduced, whilst other species (including ruderals) were affected to a lesser extent. Zinc had the greatest effect on biodiversity, followed by Cd and Cu. When we compared the sensitivity of the biodiversity indicators to the different metal content variables, pseudototal metal concentrations determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) were the most sensitive, followed by available and soluble metal contents. Worse correlations between biodiversity variables and metal variables were shown by pseudototal contents obtained by plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Our results highlight the importance of using as many different indicators as possible to reliably assess the response shown by plants to heavy metal soil pollution.